Georgia Football: Vanderbilt Week Wednesday Practice Report

Georgia was back outside for day three of Vanderbilt week. Intensity was up, the team had music blasting, and the fundamental work continued. I focused mostly on the defense but got to see the offense briefly. After a quick seven minute viewing period, here are my takeaways from Wednesday’s practice.

— There were two scouts from the Chicago Bears at practice today, when I saw them they watched the linebackers and defensive line closely. They also seemed interested in the defensive backs as well.

— I noticed that Malik Herring worked with the outside linebackers today instead of the defensive line. It seems he will likely end up a hybrid type player that can line up in the dirt or as a linebacker.

Natrez Patrick

— Glenn Schumann’s inside linebackers worked through a drill where he had them keep their hips square to be able to react quickly in the direction of a play. Schumann praised Natrez Patrick with a pat on his head for his hard work through one of the reps.

— Kirby Smart floated from the offense to the defense watching what the inside linebackers did and then got hands-on with the part of the outside linebackers explaining what he wanted from the drill. After he moved on to the next position group, Dan Lanning continued this method putting the linebackers in the exact position they needed to be in to be successful in the drill.

Dan Lanning and D’Andre Walker (15) and Brenton Cox (1)

— I’ll note that Lanning and Smart have almost identical coaching styles and the players seem to react to it. D’Andre Walker and Brenton Cox made sure when they took their rep they did it just like Lanning and Smart showed them.

Tight end drills

— For the offense, I saw the tight ends continue to work on blocking. Jim Chaney had them go through one-on-one blocking then moved to double-team blocking.

— Another group that focused on blocking was the running backs. They seemed to work on a type of cut block.

Tommy Bush (12) wearing No. 16 during Vandy Week.

— The wideouts seemed to work on a high-pointing drill. All of the guys did a great job getting up and catching the ball. The group also worked through blocking as well. Demetris Robertson continues to impress me with his improvement.

— Tommy Bush wore No. 16 to mimic Vanderbilt’s top wideout Kalija Lipscomb who wears 16. Like Matt Landers role last season, Bush seems to be the each week’s opponents top target.

— As for the offensive line, I didn’t get to watch long at all, but fundamental continued to be the message and the group stayed in individual positions. Day three in a row I want to compliment Lamont Gaillard on his physicality. The dude is on a mission and it shows in practice.

Savannah Leigh is a recent graduate of the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia. She is an avid SEC, Dawgs, and college football fan. She also adores her three-year-old black lab, Champ Bailey.